Nord Anglia Education, which owns a string of 56 independent schools in more than 25 nations worldwide, will move its global headquarters back to London six years after re-locating to Hong Kong.
The firm, which runs both boarding and day schools from Kuwait, to China and Chicago, via Bratislava was originally based in London. But a strategic decision was taken in 2012 to move the global HQ to Hong Kong, in order to boost business growth.
“London is an ideal base for our central support team”
The company reports this period as a success, as the Nord Anglia portfolio increased by 23 schools through both acquisition and the establishment of eight new schools.
The return to London will not signal a return to old areas of focus, though.
Chief executive Andrew Fitzmaurice said in a statement that the ‘homecoming’ will allow the company to operate centrally from the UK, while also basing offices across the globe.
“Nord Anglia Education has schools across the globe from Beijing to Sao Paulo… London is an ideal base for our central support team to effectively meet the teaching and learning needs of our 53,000 students around the world,” he said.
The coordination in London will be communicated to five regional bases, in Chicago, Dubai, Geneva, Ho Chi Minh City, and Shanghai. The HQ will house 80 staff across education, IT, HR, marketing, finance, legal and administrative support.
The move is also seen as an opportunity to expand on Nord Anglia’s offering and reputation, as it has committed to a new fund hoped to be worth £75m by 2028.
This will go towards the creation of a charitable foundation, as well as building a “student-led global campaign centre,” the company said.
“They want to, can and will change the world. The hope for our charitable foundation and global campaign centre is that it will help them do that, faster, more effectively and more sustainably,” Fitzmaurice explained.
The philanthropic aims will be assisted by the ‘Share A Dream’ website. This internal creation will allow NAE’s global student body to communicate and share worthy causes and projects among themselves. It is currently being tested by five Nord Anglia schools in Switzerland, the US, and Vietnam.
